Aura's Light: You can(not) Prevail
by ANightmaresDreamscape
Summary: "Hope for peace is dead, for you have killed it." Where will you turn Ash, when Aura's Star burns out? One friend after another turned their backs on Ash, he accepted Jack Walker's offer of joining the Pokemon Rangers. At the end of the day though he must answer to Rota. A tale of betrayal, blackmail, corruption, and a long-lost sister. *Back from Deployment*


**_A/n: It is so good to be back and writing again. I am excited to restart my journey with all of you and build the story we had all hoped to see. Will contain plenty of Ash x Cynthia soon enough. SPECIAL THANKS - My two Beta Readers have been a huge help, without them this chapter would not have turned out anywhere near as well as it did. So thank you : MjrGenMat & HeraldicEntertainment_**

 ** _In War, Victory._**

 ** _In Peace, Vigilance._**

 ** _In Death, Sacrifice._**

"Did you think I wouldn't figure you out? Do you think I am some amateur!?"

Ash slowly began to wake; his head clouded in the same way a heavy sedative would affect the senses.

Thoughts coming through at a sluggish pace, limbs too weak for anything beyond slow, uneasy movements; red flags raised in the back of the Ranger's mind as his heart began to beat at a furious tempo that pounded in his throat.

Amber eyes began to flutter open and focus, a decision Ash regretted immediately. Bright fluorescent lights were shining through the gaps in the threading of a black bag around his head, the pain in his skull intensifying with a vicious burning.

A gentle touch caressed his face through the hood, body jerking away from the sensation. The fingers were slender and distinctly feminine, that much he was sure of, as the hand trailed further up until it laid against his forehead. With a violent shove, his head slammed into the metal table he was bolted to, stars encompassed what little of his vision was available. The feeling of warmth beneath his head and the smell of copper overpowered his senses, a hiss of pain eliciting from the Ranger's lips.

As the ringing throughout his skull faded, he was finally able to process what the feminine voice was screaming in front of his face, "I will not ask you again, tell me where the Gardevoir is! I know who you are, Ash Ketchum. Oh yes; I remember perfectly the day you stole that Kirlia from me! You can't even begin to imagine the fortune you cost me, the price my client was willing to pay for a shiny Pokémon such as her would have let me live like a queen for life, and you ruined it! Tell me where she is, and maybe I'll let you live."

The weakness in his arms began to fade; Ash struggled against the chains holding him to the table. Wincing in pain as the chains bit into his wrists, he still fought as hard as he could. The sound of laughter caused him to falter, "Why do you still struggle, do you not realize how dire your situation is?"

Finally coming out of the medication, Ash couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice, "Well Jane, if you take this hood off my face, I'd be happy to show you the shit-eating grin I'm wearing. Why on earth would I ever tell you where she is? Gardevoir means more to me than you'll ever realize, but I'm sure you'd never understand that feeling."

"You insolent whelp!" Hunter J backhanded the ranger. The bulky ring on her finger tore open the skin on his brow, causing blood to trickle from the freshly formed split. As the blood entered his eye, the sting of the red liquid felt worse than it should have. Something in the back of his mind was screaming warnings. Despite the control he held over his Aura, he couldn't prevent it from rushing out of his core into the affected eye. The man's senses were confused, a mix of relief and pain was warring for dominance. Forcing his eye shut, Ash was unsure of what happened but not letting the Pokémon hunter find out about his Aura was his top priority. Very few knew of his ability, and she was the last person he wanted finding out.

The hood ripped from his head, bright lights shining fully into his eye with blinding intensity. The woman ran her hand through his hair and grabbed a fistful, yanking his face directly in front of hers. If they moved any closer, their lips would be touching; his heart beat more frantically.

Hot breath washing over the ranger's lips, "To top it all off though, you not only sneak into my ship and attempt to sabotage it, but you released the lake trio. That Kirlia would have made me a queen, but those three would have set me atop the world with the true leaders of this planet."

Ash's brow furrowed in frustration, "You truly don't get it, Jane? I saved your damn life by releasing the lake trio, and this is how you repay me? They are creatures of legend for a reason; you would have become a shell, a husk, withered away into nothing had you kept them any longer!"

Jane gave the ranger's nose a cute flick, "You are still the same childish boy I knew, only you gained a man's body. You think just because you 'saved' me, as you put it, that I'd let this transgression slide? You have no proof to your claims, so for all I care... you are just trying to weasel yourself out of trouble. Such a naughty man and naughty men require punishment."

Ash thrashed his arms against the shackles, "Dammit Jane! It's my job to know these kinds of things, and you don't make it far as I have as one through inaccurate assumptions, you should know this, Arceus you used to be one of us!"

The Pokémon hunter sat down in the chair to the man's right, just outside of his vision. Sweat began to pour down Ash's neck; He would give anything to make sure she stayed within his eyesight, "You have to believe me, Jane, the Lake trio is surrounded in myth, but you can always spot the truth when you know where to look. Pokélantis faced its end through multiple means that it could not withstand. No matter how badly that civilization deserved to burn to the ground, the punishment for interfering with the Legends is a price nobody should bear. Cynthia... she found texts describing what happened to the trio's victims."

A hand reached out and caressed Ash's neck. The ranger craned his neck as far as possible to get her in his vision but met no success. _'Take deep breaths, Ash, calm down and focus on breathing. You can get out of this; you aren't dead yet.'_  
The hand would alternate between gentle touches and rough squeezes to ensure he knew who held power. "I am _not_ a monster, Mr. Ketchum. I happen to be a woman of class, so let's say I am interested to hear this little theory of yours. If it's satisfactory I may release you, should that not be the case, you are leaving my ship in a body bag after I've had my… _fun_ with you."

Letting his one opened eye close, Ash released the breath he didn't realize was caught in his lungs, "Cynthia was the one who made the discovery…. The texts covered Azelf, Uxie, and Mespirit; which should be self-explanatory considering the position you have me in."

Ash could hear the condescending smirk on her lips as a throaty laugh made it past her mouth, "Oh this will be good, let's see what wonder-girl managed to come up with inside those dark, depressing tombs. Tell me though Ash, I know of the fallout you two had…. Are these memories painful? If so I eagerly await to hear more from you. I could have been yours, Ash. You know that of course. Instead, you turned down my offer and remained hung up on the queen bitch herself."

The ranger's head rolled to the side, facing away from Jane, "You were one of us Jane, a Pokémon Ranger, or at least I had thought. If you had wanted me so badly, you might have just had a chance. Cynthia was out of my life for quite some time; I was a broken mess over that loss… I still am. Your disguise was flawless; I only found you out through mere chance. Had you asked me before that moment then, I... maybe I'd have said yes."

The hands on his neck moved up to cup his cheeks, "So you'd have accepted my advances if not for _that_? I was foolish, and I know for a fact that is a lie. You might have said yes, but I am smart enough to realize now where your heart would have always laid. I digress…. Enough with that part of the past, continue your story."

Jane dragged the chair further down the table, so she was within view of the man, "I want to see the heartbreak in your eyes, the cracks in your armor as you remember her."

Finally, the feeling of his Aura flaring had died down, opening both eyes he rolled his head to face the woman, "You're a real sadist Jane."  
She gave him a critical eye, "Something I am positive you would enjoy. Now out with it."

"Three Pokémon there were, into the lakes they dove. Deep, deep, drawing no breath; deeper and deeper they dove. Into suffocating depths, they dove until deeper than deepest they alight. From the lake floor, they rise, bearing with them the power to make vast lands, they rise again."

Jane rested her chin in the palm of her hand, "This is all well and good Ash, but you need to be giving me reasons to believe they were a threat to my safety. As it stands, I'm still going to kill you and be done with this unless you can give me more than just the basic legend that even I know of them."

Ash bared his teeth at her, his blood began to boil at how condescending she could be, "But look not into the Pokémon's eyes, in but an instant you will have no recollection of who you are. Return home perhaps, but how when there is nothing to remember? Dare not touch the Pokémon's body, in but three short days, all emotions will drain away. Above all, above all, harm not this Pokémon, in a scant five days, the offender will grow immobile in entirety."

Patting the ranger on the cheek, "See, now that wasn't so hard, was it? Sadly, as much as I have enjoyed our time together, I really must be off. You see, I know the Lake Trio returned to their homes so finding them is just a matter of time. You've just given me all the information I needed to know. Perhaps in another life, you and I could have been together under much less… tedious circumstances."

Scooting the chair back, the Pokémon hunter stood up and began to leave the room. With a quick glance over her shoulder, "Oh, and Ash… I bet you're a screamer; I can always pick out the screamers."

Casually raising her arm, Jane snapped her fingers without sparing a glance back, "Drown him."

The moment those words left Jane's mouth, Ash was thrashing with all his might against the chains, "Arceus, Jane! You come back in here right now! You turn around right now and at least have the guts to do it yourself!"

The door slammed shut with a resounding clang. The fluorescent light blinked out of existence and bathed the room in pregnant darkness. Eyes having adjusted to the harsh light of the room, Ash knew there was no chance in hell he'd be able to see anything even an inch from his face.

Trying to swallow spit through the dryness that took hold of his throat, Ash only succeeded in making himself choke. The sound of footsteps behind him caused the blood to drain from his face, "Who's there?"

Ash received an answer, though not with words. A black cloth was pulled against his face and secured to the edges of the table. Despite his best efforts, there was very little the Ranger could do.

The head of the table dropped enough for the blood to begin its descent to the man's head. Beneath the black cloth, Ash's emotions began to churn frantically; his Aura flared in response to his distress, eyes swirling with cerulean energy, "No, no, no! Anything but this, please Arceus, anything but this!"

At first, it was a slow cascade of water, akin to a cup gently being emptied. The liquid soaked into the cloth surrounding Ash's nose, fluid traveling into his lungs with the next breath. Focusing his thoughts as much as possible, given the situation, images of a beautiful blonde filled his head. The caress of her hands on his face, her lips meeting his.  
As quickly as the images entered his mind, they were torn away by the overbearing sense of drowning. What had been a slow trickle of water became a hose pouring a steady stream onto his face. Each breath felt like his lungs were on fire. Ash could still get plenty of air in, but the water was just too foreign, inducing violent gagging and heaving with every breath.

Taking in as many breaths as he could as the water pause, he thought back to the promise Cynthia and himself made on the beach in Rota. The hope that kept him going, made the struggle to survive and fight on when so often he just wanted the pain to end throughout the last few years, worth it. As Ash began to fall unconscious; he plunged into the memory entirely.

* * *

Cynthia was cradled in his arms, tears falling freely from her eyes. "Promise me, Ash, promise me you'll never love anyone in the world for the rest of your life. Only me, do you promise? I've been so alone throughout my life… you are just like me, the thought of going without you after becoming so close… promise me, Ash."

Arms reaching forward and encompassing the emotional woman, Ash pulled her close and buried his face in her neck, the smell of lilac filling his nose, "I promise you, Cynthia. Till the end of the Earth."

Removing her face from his chest and wiping her eyes, golden orbs met the hazel eyes of the man in front of her. A smile spread its way across her face as her lips moved closer to his, "Then… from now on you are mine. From the top of your head to the toes on your feet."

Ash nodded his head in silent agreement; his heart was doing flips.  
Cynthia's head shifted forward ever so slightly, their lips brushing, "If you cheat on me, I'll end you. If you even touch another woman, I'll end you."

A grin tugged at his lips; there indeed was no room for another woman in his life. There had been no room before Cynthia; but she had come into his life, destroyed every wall and made just enough space in his heart for her.  
"Come to think of it, talk to another woman… and I will end you."

"Is that even possible Cynth? I mean, there's nurse joy, my mother…" The words died in his throat as she knocked him onto his back, the beautiful blonde captured his lips in a fierce kiss as they laid on the beach. As she raised her body with the support of her arms, she gazed down at him, tears dropping intermittently.

A tear splattering against his cheek was the last wall to crumble, for him to open himself up to her… in heart, soul, and aura he was hers, and she was his. For the first time, he witnessed her cry, _'Those eyes, that's it… no matter what kind crazy thing we might say or do, to me it's as if I've seen her cry before. I heard the tortured crying of her heart, and mine cried out in return. The moment love was no longer a fleeting thought, a path destined to fail. Only she could love me and relate to what I have gone through while only I can in return, nobody else exists who can say the same to her or I.'_

The grin turned into a genuine smile as he reached a hand up to wipe a tear from her cheek, "Alright. From now on... I'll only talk with you, Cynthia."

The Sinnoh Champion's eyes went wide, "Promise."

When Ash shook his head up at her, she caught his lips in another kiss, unlike the last this was much gentler. Cynthia pulled her face back; a heavy blush adorned her face, "You silly man, don't make promises you can't possibly keep."

The champion laid her head onto the man's chest; her golden hair spread out wildly across the ranger's body and the sand, she closed her eyes and listened to his heart beat inside his chest, "I promise you as well. From the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, every single bit of me without anything left to give, I am yours, Ash."

Running his fingers through her hair, he knew she didn't mean in the literal sense when she had him promise never to look or speak to another woman. It was the reassurance, the unspoken words that until the end neither would have room for a love other than each other. Together until the end, they would face the world.

"I love you, Cynthia… there's someone who I think it's finally time you got to meet."

* * *

Red eyes peered down upon a woman walking across a metal catwalk, boots clanging audibly throughout the ship. Sheer will, that was all that prevented her from turning the woman into a bloody stain upon the metal. This wretched woman had dared to lay a hand upon her many winters ago, the worse transgression… she had injured her master. Jane as her master called her, that was the vile creature's name.

Gardevoir remembered her all too clearly, torn away from her family all because she was born with a mutation that turned her blue instead of the green that was natural to her species.

Her 'tender' mercies were unforgettable, flashes of being beaten daily to ensure she was too weak to fight back when she was a mere Kirlia filled her mind. Gardevoir's body began to hum as she kept her gaze locked on the woman. 'She should be glad I promised my master not to kill her on this journey…'

Tearing her hateful gaze away from Jane, she reached out with her senses to determine her master's location. She could feel his suffering through their bond; he needed her now more than ever.

Casting her gaze down one last time, she watched the silver-haired woman pass through a doorway that slammed shut behind her. The belt of pokéball's was secured around Gardevoir's body, slung from shoulder to hip. Her partners, her family, her children as she saw them. She would sooner watch the world burn and be the catalyst for it all, than for them to be taken away from her.

* * *

Room by room, Gardevoir silently crept through, vanishing from sight or confusing the occasional guard that would not move out of her path.

Minutes crept by as she made slow but steady progress until the moans of her master reached her sensitive ears. Increasing her pace, she came upon a window into the room he was held captive.

The room was empty, and the lights were blindingly bright, a wet towel laid upon his face and the floor was drenched with a mixture of blood and water. Tears pricked at Gardevoir's eyes to see him in such a state; he was still straining in vain at the shackles. Even while he thought nobody would help him, he again struggled despite lacking the energy to lift his limbs from the table; it tore at her heart.

The door in front of her moaned… the metal slab that made up the object of her attention lasted a few more moments before the steel crumbled.

Gliding forward she removed the towel from his face; his eyes were bloodshot and unfocused, bruises covered most of his exposed skin, the shackles around his limbs coated in dried blood from digging into the man's skin.

With a quick burst of psychic energy, the mechanism holding the locks in place released. Ash met her gaze, finding the strength in her presence to reach forward and caress her face.  
Gardevoir's eyes fell shut, leaning into her trainer's touch, she soaked in the warmth of his hand and did her best to pass on feelings of safety to her trainer. Attempting to mentally communicate with him in his weakened and injured state was out of the question. She did not wish to risk fracturing his mind when forming the connection.

Ash's hand lowered and pressed the release on the pokéball. Charizard released with a deafening roar that shook the ship.

Gardevoir kept her gaze locked on Ash as she spoke to the dragon, 'We must save him, my friend. We cannot lose the Master. He is too important to our family, to the world and... to me. Please, pick him up gently. Beyond the wall in front of us lies the exterior of the ship. You will get him out of here. They will discover us shortly.'

She removed the belt and reattached it to Ash's body _, 'I will release Arcanine; the walls are thick, you will need his assistance to melt through them.'_

Pressing the pokéball, Arcanine burst out of the container surrounded in embers that warmed the room enough for sweat to bead on Gardevoir's forehead, _'Arcanine, follow your brother's lead. The Master will not perish while I have anything to say about it.'_

With a vigorous nod, a fire lit behind the canine's eyes. Taking a position to the side of Charizard, a whimper escaped his throat before a guttural growl took over at the sight of Ash. The infernal fire grew ever hotter, mixing with saliva to form a napalm-like mixture that melted through the steel floor.

The psychic Pokémon's eyes narrowed as she levitated higher, an invisible wind sweeping her dress in its current as the atmosphere became thick and heavy.

The blue hair that was so sought after when she was a Kirlia was flailing wildly in the invisible maelstrom. Images of the abuse at the hands of Jane filled her head once more, followed by her rescue by and adventures with her Master

As she turned her gaze once more towards the raven-haired man cradled in the dragon's arms, the dam of her emotions broke alongside her heart. The Master was injured…, _'No, not the master... MY Master.'_

Blood red eyes adopted a gleam as if the fires of hell had been sealed within them; _Her_ Master was injured, to Gardevoir that was an unforgivable offense. The sound of boots clanging on metal in the distance caught her attention, they did not have long, and she would be unable to battle how she wished, not with Ash so close.

Tearing her gaze away from him, a tear fell from her eye only to halt its descent to the ground. The bead slowly rose back to eye level in the air, her gaze sharpened, _'If it is a war they wish, it is a war they shall get.'_

The sound of metal groaning rang through the air, projecting her voice into the minds of all beyond her vision _, 'I had a vision… I saw a white spirit engaged in battle with countless black spirits. The sun was darkened- thunder rolled in the heavens and blood flowed in streams. Aura's star shone through the clouds, and a heavenly voice touched my very soul. She told me that such is my luck, such are you called in my stead. Be it smooth as a Togepi's shell or rough as the evil in a human's heart, this burden you must surely bear.'_

The metal beneath her body caved into a perfect hemisphere, a thunderous boom from the sudden jolt rocked the air.

As Jane's crew came within her eyesight alongside their Pokémon, the steps of the masses faltered. To Gardevoir's chagrin, Jane was nowhere in sight. Her voice grew louder and higher in pitch, many of the humans slammed their hands against to their ears in an attempt to shut out the voice in their heads, _'And at the end of this vision, I came to a decision. The White Spirit was mine to protect, that spirit meant more to me than all of creation combined. The course of human history could depend on a single change of my heart; I held the world in my hands and knew that one fumble, one hesitation in my actions would mean the spark within the White Spirit, would fade from existence.'_

Gardevoir cupped her hands in front of her, a ball formed within them, a perfect black sphere.

The heat behind her produced by her children attempting to melt through the wall was burning her exposed back. This pain only served to fuel her rage, with a quick movement of her eyes the mass of humans was forced to their knees in prostration before her. _'For it is in the solitude of my mind and soul that the battle between good and evil wages, it is in my heart that the White Spirit shall find refuge as the world turns against him. It is there that the battle is ultimately won or lost.'_

Footsteps could be heard just around the corner, despite the pressure she was exerting on these pathetic fools. Her fiery eyes followed the sound as it moved until Jane stood in the doorway, cold silver eyes meeting blood red orbs. "I should have realized sooner that you would come to his aid. _Pathetic,_ if only I had done worse to him Gardevoir, perhaps his screams would have gotten your attention sooner."

An Alakazam came into view, floating just behind the Pokémon hunter. Gardevoir could see the strain in the opposing psychic's eyes as it kept her powers at bay to protect Jane; it was an admirable attempt… feeble, but admirable.

Jane took in the sight before her, oh how she wished that Gardevoir was under her control. The power the psychic was emitting, the demonic light she was bathed in from the flames behind her, "Is this some attempt to scare me into submission? Your little pissing contest is just that, all for show. You may have power Gardevoir, but you won't truly release it. Not when your trainer over there is hanging on by a thread from our tender care."

A sharp bark rang from behind her, Arcanine was giving her the signal. The metal beneath her shattered, exposing the room below as she flexed her powers further. Alakazam was on the verge of collapse, _'You are not wrong, it is true that I refuse to put him in harm's way. Know this though… it is through my will that you shall become the red that flows through the river; An angel, I am not. The White Spirit prays for peace, for it is he who must suffer the deepest wounds and scars of war. It is that purity that I shall shelter from Arceus herself should she oppose my Master. You will face your end by my hand, for the rivers shall run red with the blood of my enemies, and I shall see the heavens fall if only to protect the one I love above all others.'_

Gardevoir turned to face Ash who was still tucked safely in Charizard's arms and Arcanine safely inside his ball, meeting his tired eyes she gave him a gentle smile. Her pokéball resting in her master's hands, _'Hope for peace is dead, Jane. For you have killed it.'_

The wall was glowing a molten red; with a nod toward Charizard, the dragon flared its wings and dug thick claws into the metal floor. The Shadow-ball she had been holding rocketed forward as she returned to her pokéball.

The ship rocked violently as the wall blew out. A deafening crack created by the sudden decompression of the vessel filled the room in a thick mist and tore the air from everyone's lungs. Charizard's roar drowned out the scream of the wind as he leapt through the hole.

Pain filled the dragon's senses as the atmosphere threatened to rip the muscles at the base of his wings. With a mighty beat of his wings, the dragon flew faster than he had yet experienced. Shifting its gaze, his trainer was still awake, Charizard took comfort in that.

The dragon's instincts alerted him to danger. If only it had been quicker! The woman's Salamance had released a Hyper Beam, without enough time to dodge, Charizard pulled the trainer as close to its chest as it could and wrapped its large leathery wings around his body forming a protective cocoon.

Ash didn't need anyone to tell him Charizard was gravely wounded; he could see it as they entered a deadly free fall towards the forest below them like a freight train attempting to fly. The scent of copper filled his nose as his clothes began to soak up the dragon's hot blood. Charizard was fighting a losing battle to stay conscious.

The dragon wanted nothing more than to vomit at the pain; chunks sheared from the tough hide on his back, the muscles that controlled his wings had torn from the blast.

Fighting with every ounce of willpower he possessed; the dragon brought its tail underneath its body into clawed hands, craned its neck down to rest a large forehead against the trainer's chest, and held on as tight as his body would allow, protecting Ash from the brunt of the initial impact.

The Ranger's voice was nothing more than a raspy whisper, "We've been through it all since day one. I'm so proud of you for coming so far."

Flesh met the ground with a sickening crunch.


End file.
